Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake (Moist Southern Pound Cake Recipe)
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This Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake is rich, buttery, moist, and packed with sweet coconut flavor in every bite. Made with cream cheese for a soft texture and tender crumb, this homemade pound cake has the classic dense texture people love with a tropical coconut twist.
The combination of butter, cream cheese, and coconut creates a cake that stays moist for days and tastes even better after resting overnight.
Whether served for holidays, brunch, potlucks, Easter, or family gatherings, this Southern-style coconut pound cake is an easy dessert that always impresses.
My classic Southern pound cake recipes are always a hit, whichever one you choose to make.
Why Cream Cheese Makes Pound Cake Better
Many bakers prefer cream cheese pound cake because it stays fresh longer and has a smoother texture.
Cream cheese helps create a rich pound cake with a softer texture and more moisture than traditional pound cakes. Because cream cheese contains fat and moisture, it creates a tender crumb while still keeping the dense texture pound cake is known for.
What Gives Coconut Pound Cake So Much Flavor?
Coconut adds sweetness, texture, and a light tropical flavor that pairs beautifully with buttery pound cake. Shredded coconut helps add texture, while coconut extract can deepen the flavor even more.
Coconut on top adds crunch and extra coconut aroma.
Tips for the Best Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake
Perfectly sweet and supremely moist Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake starts with a basic Cream Cheese Pound Cake recipe. To this, I added coconut extract, almond extract, and flaked coconut. I didn’t want large pieces of coconut in the cake. Therefore, I pulsed the flaked coconut in a food processor until it was ground fine. (about .5 centimeters in length for lack of a better example)
Use room temperature ingredients
Room temperature butter, eggs, and cream cheese blend more smoothly.
Don’t rush creaming the butter and sugar
Proper creaming helps create better structure and texture.
Avoid overmixing
Overmixing can make pound cake tough instead of tender.
Use full-fat cream cheese
Full-fat cream cheese gives the richest flavor and best texture.
Let the cake cool fully
Pound cake slices more cleanly after cooling completely.
Why Does Pound Cake Crack on Top?
A crack on top is actually normal for old-fashioned pound cake recipes. Thick batters and long baking times naturally create a split as the cake rises in the oven.
Many bakers consider the crack a signature characteristic of homemade pound cake.
What to Serve with Coconut Pound Cake
I sprinkle confectioners’ sugar over the top. I then served the Pound Cake with fresh berries and whipped cream. Southern pound cake pairs well with any of these:
- fresh fruit dessert recipes
- strawberry sauce
- lemon sauce
- blueberry sauce
- whipped cream
- Cream Cheese Glaze
- coffee
- vanilla ice cream
- pineapple topping
- caramel sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. Wrap tightly and freeze for up to 3 months.
Store tightly covered at room temperature and avoid overbaking.
Yes. Sweetened shredded coconut works well in pound cake recipes.
Dry pound cake is usually caused by overbaking or too much flour.
No, I didn’t. One important note: traditional pound cakes did not contain baking powder or baking soda. They were leavened simply with eggs. Baking powder and baking soda change the texture (crumb) of cakes and inhibit the formation of that nice crunchy ‘crust’ that is so desirable on pound cakes.
Enjoy more homemade pound cake recipes and easy Southern desserts. Also, I do recommend you read How to Bake the Perfect Pound Cake and How to Calibrate your Oven to get the very best results for your pound cake baking.
Pound Cake Baking Tips
- Brands I recommend: Philadelphia cream cheese, Crisco solid vegetable shortening, and White Lily or Martha White flour. Pans and more recommendations here.
- I have found solid vegetable shortening and sugar instead of flour to be the best for coating the pan to prevent sticking. By using sugar instead of flour, you won’t have white patches on the cake. You can use flour if you prefer.
- If you use a bundt pan instead of a tube pan, make sure it’s a taller bundt, about 5 inches tall.
Pan Information
I bake my pound cakes on a cookie sheet. Setting the pan on a cookie sheet may affect the baking time. Also, using a light versus a dark tube pan will affect baking times. For the record, I bake my pound cakes in a dark-colored
Your
I’m not a fan of using a non-stick spray for pound cakes. Some of the sides always stick pulling off that crust that I worked so hard to create. Instead, I like to use solid vegetable shortening and follow that with a dusting of granulated sugar. (Yes, sugar. Sugar doesn’t leave any white areas on the cake.) Alternately, I like the Wilton cake release. (When I started this pound cake series, I did use non-stick spray. However, after making so many and trying other methods, I do not use non-stick spray for cakes now. I have tried to go back and update those posts, but may have missed some.)
Coconut Cream Cheese Pound Cake
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Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter room temperature, salted or unsalted, your preference
- ½ cup Crisco shortening
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 3 cups all-purpose flour sifted and measured correctly
- 1, 8 ounce package cream cheese (low or fat-free not recommended)
- 1 tablespoon coconut extract
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 6 extra large eggs or 7 large eggs
- 1 cup sweetened coconut flakes sweetened, pulsed 4 to 5 times in a food processor
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Grease a (10-inch, 12 cup) bundt or tube pan with solid vegetable shortening and sprinkle with sugar (or you can use flour). Alternatively, you can use Wilton Cake Release.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer beat butter, shortening, and sugar together. Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides. Next, add the cream cheese and blend until fluffy. Again stop the mixer and scrape down the sides.
- Add eggs alternately with flour, beginning and ending with flour. Scrape down the sides.
- Blend in the coconut and almond extracts.
- Stir in coconut.
- Pour into prepared baking pan.
- Place pan on a baking sheet and bake at 325 degrees for 85 to 90 minutes. Test cake with a wooden pick or skewer. Cake is done when dry crumbs or no crumbs come out on pick when inserted into the thickest part of the cake.
- Cool on a wire rack 20 minutes before inverting on serving tray.
- Frost, if desired, and serve.*See posts for details
Notes
Nutrition
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Any idea if a gluten free baking flour would work for this?
I haven’t tried it personally with gf flour, but I’ve had comments on other pound cake recipes that it worked.
Girl! I have made many pound cakes over the years . . . But this recipe is by far the best I’ve EVER made! So moist with that crackled sweet top we all love. Followed the recipe as written. SO good! Thank you.
It’s worthy.
Thank you so much!!!
I finally made this about 4 weeks ago after having it on one of my Pinterest boards forever. AMAZING!!!!!! So incredibly moist and so delicious!!!! No frosting needed (and I do love frosting!)
Coconut and almond are two of my favorite flavors. Adore coconut so was a little skeptical about pulsing the coconut to a fine texture in the food processor. I did it anyway and very pleased that I did. I think the texture of regular coconut might have distracted me from the incredible moist, buttery texture of the cake. Instead of vanilla extract, I used about 1 tablespoon of almond extract. I didn’t have coconut extract on hand, but I found a can of coconut cream in the pantry and used 2Tablespoons of the cream floating at the top of the can. Cake lasted 2 days and I’ve been thinking about it ever since! Planning to make it again tomorrow for a get together. So excited!!!!!
I’m so happy you liked it! Thanks for commenting and rating!
Very good! The only thing I would have changed would be that since I used unsalted butter, I would have added 1/4 tsp of salt. I made this for a small party, and everyone went back for a second slice.
What would you recommend for frosting?
I would do a cream cheese glaze:
4 ounces cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup butter, softened (you can use salted or unsalted)
2 cups confectioners’ sugar
3+ tablespoons heavy cream (enough to make it thin enough to drizzle)
1/4 teaspoon salt (if you use unsalted butter)
1/4 teaspoon coconut flavoring (or vanilla)
optional, sprinkle sweetened shredded coconut over the cream cheese glaze
You said frost if desired. What would you recommend for frosting?
I’m curious why the vegetable shortening in the recipe instead of all butter?
vegetable shortening and butter are interchangeable. You can use butter if you prefer.
How long will the cake hold up if wrapped and stored in fridge?
7 to 10 days in an airtight container. It freezes well too if you need it stored longer than that.
Just popped this into the oven and almost cried because I thought I had forgot to put Baking Powder in it..well your recipe doesn’t call for it so I hope mine turns out and there is no need for baking powder 😊 Can’t wait to try it 😋🤤🥥🥥🥥 I’m a Coconut 🥥Freak lol
I hope you love it!!
Can I use coconut milk rather than coconut flakes? Please let me know. Thanks
No, that won’t work. You can grind the flakes finely in a food processor if you don’t like the texture of flakes.